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September 2, 2026
Animation director Justin Lowings and London’s Hocus Pocus Studio stitch together the historic tale of the Bayeux Tapestry in a series of films for the British Museum and what will be their most popular exhibition to date.
James Murphy, EP at Hocus Pocus: The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in the UK this month for the first time in almost 1,000 years, going on display at the British Museum who commissioned us to make three animatedfilms for its learning program aimed at students aged 11 to 14.
“We didn’t want to stray too far from what was on the tapestry itself, but still find room for the humor needed to keep it fun to watch.”
The approach starts with the Tapestry itself: figures and scenes are lifted directly from the embroidery and set in motion. Where the Tapestry has gaps, hand-drawn animation fills them, matched closely enough that the join isn’t visible.
The challenge as staying as faithful as possible to the original. We didn’t want to stray too far from what was on the tapestry itself, but still find room for the humor needed to keep it fun to watch.
In terms of animation, we viewed the tapestry as a medieval comic strip and wanted to bring it alive but still make it feel like it was embroidered. So sometimes the animation is intentionally a little stiff in places, as you would be if after being stitched down on a bit of cloth for 1000 years!
How is the Bayeux Tapestry still here after 1000 years?
Client: British Museum
Production: Hocus Pocus Studio
EP: James Murphy
Animation Director: Justin Lowings
Art Director: Theresa Hilsden
Animator: Sze Hang Lo
Sound Mix: Tom Kavanagh
VO: Claudia Winkleman
